Funded by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, FuseSocial has completed a Community Needs Assessment to identify the most urgent community challenges post-wildfire. As a support agency to the social profit sector Fuse Social’s role is to aid other agencies to not only recover from the effects of the 2016 wildfire but improve the quality of life in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. The social profit sector provides communities with essential services such as healthcare, education, cultural services and recreational programs.

The purpose of this project was to initiate public engagement during the recovery process, while understanding the challenges facing the community, and identifying priority areas for the recovery effort.

The Community Needs Assessment Survey was based upon the objectives from Wood Buffalo Strategic Road Map. Three hundred and two people responded to the survey producing a 5.63% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. The results identified Immediate, short-term and long-term needs for the community which were then mapped on the strategic road map and colour coded for urgency. Below is a summary of the top ranked needs identified by the study.

Understanding the needs of residents will support community recovery and aid the social profit sector in prioritizing services. Thank-you to the Alberta Real Estate Foundation for funding this Community Needs Assessment Study and supporting the community of Wood Buffalo.